Turkish prime minister hints at crushing dissenters

Mar. 31, 2014
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Palestinian Hamas supporters hold pictures of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan during celebrations in the Jabalia refugee camp, in northern Gaza Strip on March 31, 2014, following Turkish local elections the day before. Erdogan claimed victory for his Islamic-rooted party in key local elections and warned his foes they will "pay the price" for plotting his downfall. / MOHAMMED ABED, AFP/Getty Images

by Victor Kotsev, Special for USA TODAY

by Victor Kotsev, Special for USA TODAY

SOFIA, Bulgaria - Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stiffened his rhetoric against domestic rivals Monday after his party won sweeping victories in key local elections widely billed as a referendum on his polarizing leadership.

"We will enter their lair," Erdogan told a cheering crowd of thousands in the capital Ankara, alluding to the shadowy Hizmet moderate Islamist network headed by a U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen. "From tomorrow, there may be some who will flee."

Gulen, once a backer of Erdogan, is accused by Erdogan's supporters of goading his allies in Turkey to leak embarrassing state secrets about Erodgan and target the prime minister in a corruption probe.

Erdogan's government blocked access to YouTube and Twitter after numerous recordings were posted to the sites that allegedly implicated top officials in corruption and wrongdoing.

Despite the controversies, the ruling Justice and Development Party, or AKP, bested its previous local election result. The party retained control over Turkey's two most important cities, Istanbul and Ankara, commanding about 45% of the total nationwide vote.

Pundits say the victory will embolden Erdogan, who has faced strong criticism in recent months for cracking down on dissent and accusations of interfering with the corruption probe against him and his top allies, including by purging thousands of police officers and reassigning prosecutors.

"I am unhappy, because I was hoping that Erdogan would lose, but the truth is that the next three biggest parties are not much better," said Yasin Keskin, 27, in Istanbul. "There is no alternative right now."

Many fear that tensions inside the increasingly polarized Turkish society could rise even further if a severe crackdown on government opponents ensues. After crushing protests in Gezi Park last summer and alienating much of Turkey's secular population, Erdogan entered into a bitter fight with Gulen and his organization.

Until recently, Erdogan and Gulen were allies against the country's military, and Gulen's followers are believed to be firmly integrated into the main state institutions, including the judiciary and the police.

While some of these followers, especially among those working in law enforcement, have been fired or reassigned since the corruption probe that started on Dec. 17, analysts fear that many others could be targeted by fresh waves of purges.

"Erdogan now has the mandate required to uproot Gulenists," said Hamid Akin Unver, an assistant professor of international relations at Kadir Has University in Istanbul. "Major purges are expected."